Starting-gearing for automobiles.



P 0. DAY.

STARTING GEABING FOB AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED DOT. 22, 1912.

Patentd May 26, 1914- Wrltneqded: .F JZ, W MW Invent-o r; ZiZVMeflttornegqofl PERCY 0. DAY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

STARTING-GEARING FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. May 26, 1914...

Application filed October 22, 1912. Serial No. 727,181.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PERCY C. DAY, a subjectof the King of Great Britain, residing at Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Starting-Gearing for Automobiles, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,forming a part thereof.

This invention relates more particularly to apparatus designed for usein connection with electric starters for automobiles of the class inwhich a pinion on a countershaft driven from the starting motor drives agear wheel on the engine fiy-wheel or shaft. In the usual form ofconstruction the pinion and gear are provided with straight spur teethand the pinion is arranged to slide alon the countershaft under controlof the starting pedal, so as to be engaged with or disengaged from thegear. It is usual to provide a ratchet clutch or similar mechanismbetween the starting motor and the pinion so that power can only betransmitted from the starting motor to the pinion and not from thepinion to the starting motor. In starting gearing constructed accordingto the present invention, for the aforementioned spur pinion and gear, apinion and gear with single spiral or helical teeth are substituted.

- In its simplest form the invention consists of a single helical pinionmounted so as to be'free to slide along the countershaft of the startingmotor but provided with a feather key or other suitable means to causeit to be revolved by the countershaft. The single helical gear whichworks in mesh with the aforesaid single helical pinion is mounted on theengine fly-wheel or crank shaft. The motion of the single helical pinionalong the countershaft is controlled by the starting pedal in onedirection only, namely, that direction required to shift the pinion intomesh with the gear on the enginefly-wheel or crank shaft. The pinion ispushed or shifted in one direction into mesh with the gear, and when inthis position its further spiral angle and in such direction that theunbalanced axial thrust which occurs between the spiral pinion teeth andspiral gear teeth, when the pinion drives the gear, will act in suchdirection as to hold the pinion in engaging position or in mesh withsaid gear. When the engine begins to work, the Q gear on the fiy-wheelor crank shaft will drive the pinion on the motor countersha-ft and thedirection of axial thrust between the engaging spiral teeth will bereversed, causing the pinion to slide along the countershaft and becomedisengaged from the gear on the engine fly-wheel or crank shaft.

In a modification of the invention, the single helical pinion is free torevolve on the countershaft and is attached to one member of a multiplejaw or other suitable clutch. The other member of the clutch is attachedto the countershaft in such manner that the two members of the clutchengage each other when the pinion is in complete mesh with the gear.With this arrangement the clutch may be designed so that a relativelysmall axial movement of the spiral pinion will disengage it from thecountershaft and disconnect the engine from the starting motor beforethe single helical pinion has moved out of mesh with the gear. Thisarrangement provides for a quick re lease of the starting motor afterthe engine commences to work, and has the advantage that the pinion doesnot commence to drive the gear until the teeth are almost in full meshand the starting motor is released when the pinion has moved back arelatively short distance.

If the clutchis of type, the jaws may be shaped to exert end pressure onthe pinion in the reverse direction to the forward or driving pressureand in the same direction as the backward or releasing pressure in sucha manner as to cause a quick release when the engine starts. y

In the accompanying drawing like characters designate like or similarparts in both figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view or elevation of one form of starting gearembodying the invention; and Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modification.

Referring to Fig. 1, l is the engine crank shaft, 2 the fly-wheel and 3a single helical gear ring mounted on and secured to flywheel 2. Thesingle helical pinion 4 is carried on the motor countershaft 5 andcaused to rotate with it by the feather key 6, but is free to slide onthis shaft in one direction until the hub of the pinion is arrested bythe end of the bearing 7. The pinion remains in the position shown bythe dotted lines 4 when the starter is not in use, and may be pushedforward into mesh with the gear by the rollers or jaws 11 actuated bythe starting pedal, which is not shown.

is The rollers or jaws actuated by .the starting pedal, move forward tothe position indicated by dotted lines 11 when the pedal is depressed,andreturn to position shown by full lines at 11 when the pedal isreleased, leaving the inion free to slide back out of mesh with the gearwhen the engine starts. The second bearing for the countershaft isindicated at 8.

9 shows the usual train of reduction gears between the starting motor 10and countershaft 5. These gears may be of any number or type and form nopart of the presentinvention. I

When the starting motor is inactive, the.

pinion 4 is held in the position indicated by dotted lines 4, out ofcontact with the gear 3, by any suitable'means, such for example, as agroove 14 in the hub of the pinion which is engaged by a spring catch 15attached to the bearing 8, when the engine is started and the pinion isthrust by the driving action of the gear 3 out of mesh therewithtowardthe bearing 8. I

The directions of rotation of the spiral gear and pinion are shown byarrows and the relative directions of the spiral teeth are also shownfor the particular arrangement illustrated. The teeth of the pinion andgear may be chamfered or otherwise formed at the ends which first comeinto engagement, in the same manner asspur gears in sliding geartransmissions. If the gears are pushed into engagement and the startingmotor switched on, the pinion 4 will drive the gear 3 and the axialthrust on the spiral teeth will hold the pinion in the position shown byfull lines, with its hub against the bearing 7. As soon as the enginecommences to work, the gear 3 will drive the pinion 4 and the axialpressure'on the pinion teeth will be reversed and will cause the pinionto slide back out of mesh with the gear and so release itself.

Referring to Fig. 2, showing a modification of the method of mountingthe pinion 4 on countershaft 5, instead of the feather 6, the pinioncarries one member of a jaw clutch 12 and is free to revolve as well asslide on the shaft 5 when the clutch is dis- The clutch may be of thefriction, electromagnetic, or any other suitable type. The disengagingaction may be supplemented by springs or otherwise, as may be foundconvenient.

In the modified arrangement of the gearing shown in Fig. 2, the pinion 4is shifted into engagement with the gear 3 and one member of the clutch12 is thrust into engagement with the other member at will by rollers orjaws 11, as shown in Fig.1.

The helical .gear 3 on the fly-wheel or crank shaft of the engine mightbe made shiftable axially into and out of operative position instead ofthe helical pinion or gear 4 on the motor countershaft. In short,various changes in the details of construction and arrangement of partsof the gearing may be made without materially affecting a its mode ofoperation or departing from the principle and scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In starting gearing for automobiles the combination of helical gearsadapted to mesh with each other and transmit motion from a startingmotor to the automobile engine, one of said gears-being shiftableaxially out of operative osition by the end thrust caused by the helicalform of the gear teeth when the engine is working, and means forshifting the axially movable gear into operative position at will.

2. In starting gearing for automobiles the combination of helical gearsadapted to mesh with each other and transmit motion from a startingmotor to the automobile engine, one of said gears being shiftableaxially into and out of operative position and the gear teeth beinginclined so that the axial thrust thereon will tend to hold theshiftable gear in operative position when it is'rotated by the startingmotor and will shift it into inoperative position when it is rotated bythe engine, and means for shifting the movable gear into operativeposition at will.

3. In starting gearing for automobiles the combination of helical gearsadapted to mesh with each other and transmit motion from a startingmotor to the automobile engine, one of said gears being movable axially,and a clutch for .operatively connecting the axially movable gear withthe shaft on which it is mounted, the inclination of the gear teethbeing such as to shift the axially movable gear when it is rotated bythe engine into position to disengage the clutch, and meansrfor shiftingthe axially movable gear into position to engage the clutch.

4. In starting gearing for automobiles the combination of helical gearsadapted to mesh with each other and transmit motion from astarting'motor to the automobile engine, one of said gears being movableaxially relative to the other into and out of engagement therewith andthe inclination of the gear teeth being such that the end thrust thereontends to hold the axially movable gear when it is rotated by thestartingmotor in engagement with the other ear 'and will shift it out ofengagement t erewith when it is rotated by the engine, and means forshifting said axially movable gear into engagement with the other gearat will.

5. In starting gearing for automobiles the combination of helical gearsadapted to mesh with each other and to transmit motion from a startingmotor ,to the automobile engine, one of said gears being movable axiallyrelative to the other and a clutch for operatively connecting sa1daxially movable gear with the shaft on which it is mounted,

that the end thrust thereon tends to hold the axially movable gear inclutch engaging and operative position when it is rotated by thestarting motor and will shift said gear out of clutch engagin andoperative position when it is rotate by said engine.

In witnesswhereof I hereto afiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

PERCY 0. DAY. Witnesses:

I. H. PHELPS, J. K. SIMMONS.

